Updates from Manesar

The permanent workers at the Maruti Suzuki manesar plant reached a wage settlement with the management under which their monthly wages will rise by around Rs 16,000 over three years and the so called cycle-time, required to produce one car will rise from the current 40 seconds per car to 60 seconds per car.

This partial wage settlement has result in a growing discontent among the temporary workers, most of whom are hired under the new category employed in the Maruti-Suzuki plant known as company temps. These temps are hired for a period of 7 months after which they are laid off, and have to wait for 5 more months before applying again. They draw a salary between 10,000-14,000 and even though on paper are hired for supporting the permanent work, in reality they do the same work as permanent workers.

As a result of the discontent which was simmering since Friday, on Saturday these temporary workers struck work. They refused to enter the factory gate for the morning shift and assembled at the factory gates. They refused any sor of mediation by the nearby Village sarpanches and even refused to send their own represenatives inside to negotiate with management. Instead they asked the management reps. to come out to talk to them. Their strong stance makes their rage against what they perceive as extreme unjust practices of the Maruti Management clear.

As has become the norm in the workers struggles in the Guaragon belt and in the Maruti Manesar plant in particular, bouncers from nearby villages who were hired by the management attacked the workers in conjunction with the police who lathi-charged them. 3 workers suffered serious chest injuries and are admitted in ICU in an unknown hospital. More then 100 workers were detained and 2 members of the workers solidariy committee who participated in the protests (com. Khushiram and Com. Jitendra, both workers with Maruti in the past) were detained, and Khushiram was brutally beaten up inside the prison after being stripped naked. FIR is filed against both of them and they were releseaed on Bail later along with the detained workers.

(information sourced from Workers Solidarity Center)

Please watch this space for further updates on this ongoing issue

Update:
Chennai Solidarity committee for Maruti- Suzuki workers condemns this action of police force and the maruti management who often resort to use of thugs to suppress the workers protests. We demand an immediate inquiry into the police brutality, use of bouncers by the management and torture of Khushiram inside the prison. We also demand an immediate withdrawal of FIR against com. Khushiram and Com. Jitendra and demand that the wage demands of temporary workers be accepted by the management.